With an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership and Christian Ministry, Dr. Sheila Hunt partners with people creating powerful results she implements with leaders and team members to produce effective relationships. As CEO of Explosive Transformation & 501c3 GodSeekers Intl, Dr. Hunt’s mission is to partner with one million people, equipping them to transform our world through the 7 societal mountains of Family, Education, Religion, Business, Arts & Entertainment, Media, and Government.
People are different, yet predictably so. When we understand ourselves, then we can communicate more effectively with each other. Law enforcement and first responders have our utmost respect due to their daily sacrifices, and unknown circumstances faced hour by hour. Violence in our world is topping headlines, oftentimes due to lack of communication and understanding. As a public-school administrator, business owner, and university professor with a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, I see first-hand where people of all ages feel anxiety about safety, relationships, and communicating effectively with others. Here’s an excellent example of how effective communication and understanding personalities can save lives!
Jason*, a police officer on a team I am working with, responded to a domestic violence call and faced a man with a knife threatening his wife. Since Jason had taken the DISC Personality Profile and passed DISC training to recognize the behaviors of different styles, he quickly assessed the husband was a “S” personality style. He immediately established a secure environment, listened while building rapport, and talked calmly with the husband. Jason learned how to best communicate with Steady personalities, so he gently said, “Please give me the knife,”- which the man did. By applying DISC theory no one was harmed or arrested. As a high “DC” personality style, Jason shared that before understanding his DISC style or being able to predict behaviors of others, he would have handled the situation very differently. Like a typical “DC” aiming to complete the task, he would have taken the husband to jail versus the hospital for an assessment. The man’s life would never be the same due to Jason’s DISC communication! Now Jason can understand others better and handles everyday communication very differently and more successfully.
Because of this and current challenges facing first responders, I utilized the DISC Personality System as the foundation of my dissertation study with a law enforcement team regarding communication and change. Research results show that police department employees who use DISC strategies have greater understanding and communication success with their team, personal, and community interactions. Law enforcement national post-conference surveys recorded that “interpersonal communication” was rated in the top five areas of desired topics for personal development.
Enhanced communication can increase understanding and empathy necessary to quell anxieties. First responders need the DISC personality strategies to provide a universal language at and beyond work, to air and understand their differences, and to find areas of agreement. Numerous departmental officers have been certified as DISC behavioral coaches with great success in experiencing more effective communication and team performance.
DISC is a tool that brings people together around their differences. DISC stands for dominance, influencing, steadiness, and compliance. Here are several ways DISC can impact your team:
- Increase team performance
- Place employees accurately
- Duplicate and retain top performers
- Interact with internal and external stakeholders more effectively
- Reduce misunderstandings to resolve conflicts within your team and w/ every interaction you make in the community.
Whether you already know about DISC communication or are just learning about it, when first responders utilize DISC strategies, they recognize their distinctive personality strengths and thinking preferences. With unique personalities every place we go, first responders experience success when they possess strategies that increase communication and positive relationships with diverse citizens and groups. We have all been in a situation we wish we could have known exactly who we were dealing with and what to say, or not say… possibly to even save lives. People are different- yet predictably so. We need to know ourselves so we can communicate more effectively with each other, especially in today’s times.
Listen more in the video and connect with Dr. Sheila Hunt here.
